Only three overseas players, and of the other fourteen, seven have come through our academy.

Average age - 24.5

Because of injuries.

Yes we all know that however, I guess the initial post was highlighting the bright future with young local players stepping up and beating super league competition in a competitive game.

No Sherlock.

Great to see the squad depth improving as the quality of the younger talent gradually improves.

But we, as well as the rest of SL, will target average NRL players on large wages.

The thing about Bowden, Green, Crooks, Lineham, Hadley, Shaul is they're not looking out of their depth. My favourite is Lineham, love his attitude.

Absolutely, all have done a fine job. You could imagine all of them in the first choice seventeen in a couple of years time.

It's great to have these youngsters to call on rather than bringing in players on loan.

That team of 'reserves' beat a buoyant Salford team with ease, despite the close score line. This highlights the strength of our academy, despite the supposed gap at the 19's level spoke about numerous times.
In a coupe of years these could be the spine of the team, backed up by a highly talented group currently in the 16's. The future is certainly looking good.

Strange that, because the facts are that signings from the NRL as a percentage of signings has fallen over the last two years.

Yep, nothing to do with the rising Aus Dollar and NRL salary cap.

I've said before we, all SL clubs, don't give our youngsters enough of a chance.

But we are now and that's what this thread is celebrating.

We are because of injuries and the fact we can't afford the required quality from the NRL.

We've been forced into it, if we would have adopted this strategy years ago we'd be in a far better position.

So nothing to do with the tighter rules around non-fed players either then?
The Aussie dollar has little to do with it, it's still weak compared to the £ at $1.48. I'd have thought the rising salary cap would have the opposite effect, tbh. Middle of the road players can get more in the NRL.


Don't disagree, but we're certainly addressing it, wouldn't you agree?

Good for the future of HullFC and the England team, but I do think SL is missing the big-name Aussie/Kiwi stars of old.

Would a system where you are allowed 1 'marquee' signing who doesn't count on the cap help attract the bigger name players, and keep the big English stars like Tomkins in the league?

Conscious and vocal strategy by Pearson to commit to youth development when he bought the club, wasn't it? The 16 non-overseas players in the 19 man squad yesterday were from Hull or Yorkshire.

It was, the previous regime didn't seem to find it too hard to attract young kids and give them their debuts...it was what happened at age 18-21 where we seemed to get it badly wrong. The current crop of young players seem both a lot more confident, and a lot more comfortable with the first teams tactics which is making it much easier for them to slot in and cover injuries.

I belive Salford had 16 UK players and the french lad too

Even when fully fit though, only the average age should change much. If every member of our squad was available for the Wigan game Holdsworth would be the only overseas player to bring in IMO. 13 out of 17 homegrown is still pretty good.

These kids are only getting a look in due to injury, the same as many in SL as a lot of clubs are suffering. This talk of commitment to youth is not as strong as some are making out. Crooks and Lineham should have been given the first opportunity at the club to claim a starting spot in the centre and wing, instead the club go out and sign two very average, no better than what have players. That's not giving youth a chance.

A KR fan, criticising another club about it's youth policy, the irony.

Pretty stupid post, as had we not signed these two players we would have been struggling for players now, maybe Crookes and arundal had a better pre-season so gentle choose them. It's all about balence and it rushing players, I youth commitment from AP and PG is outstanding, both on and off the field, miles ahead of what is was a couple of years ago.

Crookes has been pretty impressive when he has played, still not convinced about arundel though.

I suppose it's distracting him from the dry bumming his lot are receiving at the moment.

4 years ago the dollar was $2.50 to the pound, just because its not its not 1 for 1 doesn't make it weak.

With all the exemptions the "tighter" rules don't make that much of an impact, I doubt any clubs quotas full.

20 - 6, I'd fogotten hos rubbish Blunderside's commentary was!!

What will limpdick blame for the first half?

Rubbish, starting spots were rightly given to Crookes & Arundel. Maybe these two were better in training? You're also forgetting that they were signed before the real emergence of Crooks and Lineham.